Pipe Stress & Loads
Waterhammer is one of the major causes of pipe movement and damage. We have seen numerous examples on site where serious damage and system downtime have been caused because surge pressures have caused pipes to move and be damaged.
We have heard of oil platforms being shutdown due to pipe damage, mines being closed for weeks and power generating plants being shutdown for pipe and equipment replacement.
In contrast, simple surge studies and surge suppression can vastly reduce the pipe loads and moments that pipes are subjected to during transient conditions. One case study describes how a turbine shutdown caused an excessive pipe movement, yet by changing the closure time of the guide vanes this movement was reduced to acceptable limits without any additional pipe supports being needed. We have experience of a surge study costing a few thousand pounds saving over £250,000 in pipe support costs.
We can supply dynamic loads ready for input into pipe stress programs.
